This invention relates to an ice fishing device in the form of rod and line with an alarm actuable by a fish pulling on the line so that the fisherman can leave the rod to some extent unattended and can return on actuation of the alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,438 (McCulley) discloses a fish strike indicator in which a fishing rod is formed in two rod portions one of which can be inserted into a ferrule on the other. There is a speaker provided on the lower portion and a battery supply providing electrical voltage for powering the speaker. The speaker is actuated by a wire device connected to a tip end of the upper portion of the rod which actuates a connection between contacts mounted at the junction between the two rod portions. This device is however of a very complicated nature making it expensive to manufacture leading to an unacceptable retail price. The device is in addition of a complex nature which makes it delicate and prone to breakdown when used in rugged conditions prevalent in ice fishing. Furthermore there is significant danger that a fish pulling vigorously on the line can pull the whole device into the water so it is then lost unless the device is fixedly mounted on the ground or on the ice surface. When ice fishing it is verY difficult if not impossible to mount the device so that it is absolutely fixed since the ice surface is not conducive to providing sufficient fixing force. There is always a danger therefore the device can be pulled away from the ice and lost through the hole in the ice unless it is designed to prevent this possible loss.
U.S. Pat. No. 449,202 (Bushong) discloses a very primitive arrangement in which there is provided a rod formed from two separate rod portions connected by a coil spring, a line attached to the upper one of the portions and a bell carried by the upper one of the portions so the fish pulling on the line will cause a vibration in the upper rod portion which will presumably ring the bell. This device is of course very primitive and relies upon a relatively vigorous pulling action by the fish to cause the bell to ring. This pulling action can only occur when the fish is properly hooked and that is well known in many cases is necessary to hook the fish by pulling the line vigorously while the fish is only nibbling around the bait. It is important therefore for an indicator not only to indicate when a fish is actually hooked on the line but also to indicate when the fish is nibbling on the bait or has removed the bait since the fisherman will, even if he has not caught a fish, wish to replace the bait to ensure that further fish are lured.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,578,887 (Jackson) discloses an automatic fishing device in which a rod is formed in two separate rod portions coupled by a coil spring together with a trap actuated by pulling of the line. In use the rod is bent into a trap position and then released from the trap position when the line is pulled so the rod straightens to a retracted position to catch the fish. Devices of this type are well known but have achieved little success. The problem remains in the Jackson device that unless the device is very firmly attached to the ground, the fish can pull the whole device into the water through the hole. The relatively large heavy plate provided in Jackson to mount the device on the ground is highly undesirable for ice fishing where transportation of bulky equipment is very difficult and undesirable.
Other devices used in fishing are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,727,673 (Dumar), 3,470,647 (Horner), 3,739,514 (Odney), 2,733,532 (Siegel), 2,922,243 (Weaver), 4,571,876 (LeClair) and 3,729,849 (Richard) and in Canadian Patent Nos. 461,805 (Davis) and 511,235 (Backe). These devices show various indicators for providing indication to the fisherman that the fish has or is taking the bait. The devices are generally complex and unsatisfactory leading to little commercial success.